A quiet Sunday. Just doing little chores here and there, wishing my weekend wasn't coming to a close. It just seems like the past few days have been nothing but family obligations, stress and rush rush rush. The holidays may be relaxing for some, but it was a lot of work and stress for me. I know I am not alone; holidays can put a lot of you on edge. I really don't want to go into work tomorrow but I haven't much choice being that I have to run payroll. I would rather just sleep in. Ah well, no rest for the wicked. Enough of my whining!

Puurrs to all,

I must be a masochist. I have agreed to take my son to Toys R Us. He has a giftcard he got for Christmas that is burning a hole in his pocket. Ack I hate that wretched place. The only places I loathe more are Fry's Electronics and GameStop. I am a good mommy, though, I promised to take him and so I shall. It will be crowded beyond belief. Am taking my headache meds now; strictly a precautionary measure. If I don't return, send a search party for me....




Puurrs to all,

Well Santa came to my house last night!!!

So far Christmas has been pretty good. For once my hubby put his foot down with his family and refused to budge from the house. Normally Christmas day is like a constant rush, going from place to place but he said a big fat NO to that this year. Christmas Eve dinner with my parents was here at our house. Prime rib and all the goodies to go with it, homemade profiteroles and gingerbread cake and lots of cookies (fucking cookies, argh). We exchanged little gifts and watched A Christmas Story on the bluray. It was nice and relaxing despite me literally cooking and in the kitchen from the moment I got off work to mealtime. I was wiped out by 10:00pm.

Christmas morning and I got woken up early by our son who was anxious to paw thru the stuff Santa left. I could have happily slept another couple hours. He made out like a bandit - an ipod from us and new inline skates from the Fat Man. Plus a marshmallow gun of all things! Yeah it shoots little marshmallows as bullets! He got assorted Pokemon crap and some other stuff. I got hubby a new ipod as his old one decided to die just in time for Christmas lol. He was totally surprised, I got him pretty good this year. He got me something I have been wanting for a long long time, but could never justify the expense; a Le Creuset dutch oven!!! OMG it is huge and weighs as much as an anvil but it is beautiful. Anyone who is serious about cooking knows the worth of these things, WAY expensive but it will last many lifetimes. I wish he hadn't spent so much on me but I admit - I LOVE IT! Can't wait to cook something in it.

I made a nice breakfast and we ate and zoned out in front of the tv for a bit and then I went back to bed to lay down while the boys futzed with their new toys. I guess I fell asleep because next thing I know hubby is waking me up as his parents and sister had come over to exchange gifts. I woke up with a handprint on the side of my face - I was laying on my hand and it looked like someone smacked me a good one lol. Thankfully it faded. My hand was all numb from laying on it too, I hate that feeling. All numb but then it goes all pins-and-needly on you after. I must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep in such an awkward way.

We exchanged gifts and chatted for a bit and then they left. In a while we will have to take showers and get ready for his families big Christmas dinner. I would rather stay home slobbing around in my robe and eating leftover profiteroles and spinach dip but we gotta do the dance. You know how it is.

I hope everyone has/had a good Christmas/Boxing day...


Puurrs to all,

I just stopped by to wish all of you wonderful people a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

I haven't been able to be online thanks to the holiday rush and family time, but I couldn't go without sending my NN 'family' holiday wishes.

Please have a safe and happy time with your family and friends, I wish you nothing but the best...

XOXOXOXO


Love and Puurrs to all

Monday again, dammit. Doing a drive-by at the moment, was a busy weekend. Had some seriously fantastic sex among all the other things...it was a crazy hectic weekend is about all I have time to say right now, will have to sit down and write it all out later.

Puurrs to all,

Just my most favorite song in the world....I can't explain why, it has always been...


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q0O9uNvoMec

*WARNING! UTTERLY BORING AND MEANINGLESS DRIVEL AHEAD. CEASE READING NOW UNLESS YOU ENJOY BOREDOM OR COOKING*

Ok so most of you reading my blogs know I have been in a baking-induced fugue state for the past couple of days. With the holidays and all, I have basically become a kitchen fixture and have bored both my husband and BF to tears with my constant OCD baking. Only passionate fellow cooks/bakers would understand how it is. Everyone else thinks I am a nutter.

After 3 days of test baking and re-baking various recipes and tweaking and mucking with them to my satisfaction, the status is as follows:

Shortbread cookies with tart lemon glaze - didn't pass muster with me but popular with my hapless taste-test guinea pigs. The lemon glaze was pretty damn delicious, though. I am just not into shortbreads so much. Fail.

Chocolate crinkles - well received by all. It's chocolate fer gods sake! Pretty to look at and they taste like tiny rich brownies. Easy to make and the recipe produces a lot. Keeper.

Sour cream tea cakes with butter icing - Jury still out. Need more tester input. Cakes are very fluffy and light and the butter icing is rich rich rich. Very lush flavor, but perhaps too rich for mass consumption? Undecided.

Coconut macaroons drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate - If you like coconut you will love these. Almost candy like in sweetness and appearance and so sexy looking on a plate (lol food porn). Keeper.

Coconut meringues - My favorite of the bunch. Crispy, crunchy exterior that dissolves on the tongue...tender, moist interior with just a wisp of coconut. Hard to eat only one...tendency to gobble with this one. Just 5 ingredients and you have something mindblowingly delicious. Keeper.

Not at work. At home with sick child. Doctor's appt in an hour and half. I HATE going to pediatrics, it is an utter germ factory. I am not terribly OCD but I swear I can feel my skin crawl from all the kid cooties running amok in the waiting room. All those sick kids with snot running down their noses, coughing in people's faces and licking the big fish tank and furniture. Gack. I want to wear a hazmat suit.

In the meantime we must run hubby's potluck item to him for his company holiday potluck and ornament exchange. Ornament is all wrapped and ready, fruit salad is ready too. Damn he is spoiled. Door-to-door service....I should get a tip or something, huh?

Puurrs to all,

Currently listening to: The damn Xbox, my god I don't know how any kid can play Battlefront for hours, but my kid apparently can...ack...

More frigging cookies. I feel like a galley slave, but with a spatula instead of an oar. Who's idea was this cookie party anyhow? I must bring a minimum of 2 dozen per type of cookie. I am expected to bring at least 3 separate types of cookie. The lemon shortbread was a dud last night, I am just not a fan of them. They will not be one of the three. The Chocolate fudge crackles were awesome. A test batch of macaroons are currently in the oven and peppermint meringues will be tested later today along with whatever recipe catches my eye. I am going crazy I think.

This party is the official start to my holiday baking regimen that will consume the most of my waking hours till Christmas. Caramel corn, cranberry bread, spice bread, cookies; an endless parade of cookies and the gingerbread house. All made from scratch. By the end of it all I will look like a flour coated zombie; reeking of vanilla and almond extract, my hands coated in butter, cinnamon stains on my fingernails...My god, how horribly un-sexy does that sound? I am grateful this only happens once a year.

BTW, the macaroons just came out of the oven. GORGEOUS. Absolutely pretty as a picture. I must be insane because the sight of such baked perfection is making me excited...ack!


Puurrs to all,

Currently listening to: Christmas carols

Cookies....everywhere...fuck...running out of flat surfaces to place them on...help!